tado° UK launch

Paul Hughes

tado° UK launch

29.10.2013

Munich, 29 October 2013 - Every year, when the days get shorter and the temperature outside starts to fall, the same discussion takes place in many households: how can we reduce heating costs and still keep the house nice and warm? Now the technology start-up tado° presents the answer to the rising cost of heating and a modern, environmentally friendly lifestyle for UK homes.

One third of the energy consumed around the world is used for heating or cooling buildings. The systems used for this are controlled by non-smart technology that has been outdated for decades. “ Our number- one motivation for developing tado° was to tackle this issue and make a significant contribution to the energy transition ,” says company founder Christian Deilmann. tado° is a completely new kind of smart heating control that not only to makes everyday life easier, it also makes the home more comfortable and enables customers to cut their heating costs by an average of 27%*.

Last November tado° brought its intelligent, smartphone-based heating control to market in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Starting from the beginning of November tado° officially starts shipping its product to the UK. “We have adapted our mobile app and developed a new connector kit especially designed for UK homes,” explains Christian Deilmann.

tado° is the first heating app that automatically adjusts to the residents' daily lives, which means it is kind to the bank balance as well as the environment. It's also incredibly convenient, because once it has been
installed, the user can simply relax and let tado° do the work.

The tado° solution - what makes it so smart?

Whether going to work as usual or taking a spontaneous weekend break with the family - the tado° application on the residents’ mobile phones detects when the last person has left the house, with no user action required. A signal is then sent to the heating system to turn down the temperature. As soon as one of the residents starts to head home, tado° reacts immediately and warms up the house to the desired temperature. It even takes sleeping times into account, reducing the temperature to a lower chosen setting. Since no two buildings are the same, tado° learns about all the significant properties of a home in just a few days. For instance, how quickly it cools down or how the sunshine influences the interior temperature. This information is used to develop control strategies that will get the house to the desired temperature in the most efficient way possible. These strategies can also make use of current weather forecasts. If the sun is going to shine the next day, tado° will automatically take this information into account and heat on a lower setting.

Why tado°?

Whether you have a regular schedule or not, whether you live in an old or a modern building, with your family or on your own - with tado° you are perfectly equipped for the upcoming heating season. With the help of tado°, everyone can easily make a contribution to climate protection. Founder Johannes Schwarz says: “ We were not convinced by any of the solutions available on the market. We were looking for a solution that, in terms of design and function, fits in perfectly with people's lives - not the other way around .”

Using the tado° app on a smartphone or a computer, users can keep an eye on how tado° is working for them and how their energy usage is being optimized - even while on the move. With the direct cost comparison, users are just a finger-click away from viewing the day's approximated heating costs both with and without the intelligent tado° control. What's more, users can set their own priorities for their smart heating system. What comes first, bigger savings or more comfort? And if users want to take the wheel themselves, they can simply input a desired temperature manually - from anywhere in the world.

How does it work?

The sleek white tado° Box that comes with the order establishes a connection with the central heating. It can be installed by the customer in a few simple steps and is compatible with almost all boilers. “Using our intuitive online guide, tado° can be installed in less than half an hour. Currently 97 percent of our customers install tado° themselves and are delighted at how easy the process is,” explains Christian Deilmann. There is also an option to book an extra installation service.

Price and availability

The tado° app can be downloaded for iOS and Android free of charge. The Connector Kit, which hooks the heating system up to the web is compatible with almost all heating systems, regardless of the manufacturer. The Connector Kit is available to buy with lifetime service from
www.tado.com/gb/shop/
for £249 or to rent for £6.99 on a monthly contract. Flex customers who decide for the rental plan even enjoy a savings guarantee. “Anyone who hasn't cut their heating costs by at least £100 per year in the first year will have their rental payments for the last 12 months refunded,” explains Leopold v. Bismarck, CMO of tado°.

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About tado°

Headquartered in Munich, tado°, the European market leader in intelligent home climate control solutions, was founded in 2011. tado° revolutionises the way energy is consumed at home. Through the use of a geo-aware app, tado° automatically adjusts the temperature based on the residents’ locations, enabling households to significantly save on energy costs while reaching a higher level of comfort.